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With Fourth of July celebrations nearing, public safety agencies in Eagle County are reminding the community that personal use of fireworks is prohibited. A statewide ban on open burning, which includes fireworks, is in place, and more stringent Stage II fire restrictions have been implemented throughout the majority of Eagle County.

Eagle County law enforcement agencies are aggressively enforcing the ban on fireworks and open burning. All personal fireworks are prohibited without exception, including sparklers, snakes and ground displays. Those found in violation of the ban are subject to criminal charges punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both, depending on the jurisdiction.

Local fire officials and federal agencies advise extreme caution due to the high fire danger environment. Anyone found to have caused a fire, regardless of whether the activity is permissible, will be held liable for any damages incurred.

On June 15, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the property manager for The Villas at Brett Ranch in Edwards. The manager was reporting graffiti to the entry sign.

When the deputy arrived to speak to the property manager, he observed that the entry sign had been spray painted with what appeared to be "837," "TR" and "TRey" in gray-colored spray paint. The property owner stated that this was not the first time that this had happened at the location.

While the deputy searched the area, he located six vehicles that had also been vandalized with the same colored spray paint in a nearby parking lot at the Lake Creek Village Apartments. All six vehicles had been tagged with a combination of "970," "TRey and "RWAN."

During the deputy's investigation he received information that led him to the personal Facebook page of 19-year-old Thomas A. Reyes of Avon. During the search of this Facebook page, the deputy located photographs of graffiti that had been added at approximately 10 a.m. on June 15. One of the photos was a mural with a caption that stated "My first mural : ) with help!!" The mural contained the marking "970" and other photos on Mr. Reyes Facebook page contained the marking "TR."

Deputy's presented Mr. Reyes with the printouts from his Facebook page at which time he confessed that he and 18-year-old Briar S. Carr of Edwards had spray painted the mural in the photograph under a local bridge and were also responsible for the graffiti on the vehicles.

Thomas A. Reyes was arrested on two counts of felony criminal mischief and summonsed for one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief.

Briar S. Carr was summonsed for two counts of misdemeanor criminal mischief.

A deputy stopped a car for running a stoplight in Eagle-Vail on June 12 and smelled unburned marijuana when he contacted the 24-year-old driver and the 27-year-old female passenger.

The deputy asked the driver when he last smoked marijuana. The man said two hours ago. When asked if there was any in the car, the man handed over a glass pipe with burned residue. The officer said that he smelled unburned marijuana and the man pulled out a bag with 1.04 ounces of the drug.

The deputy told him to hand over any other drugs as well. The man reached into a pocket on the back of the passenger seat and a second officer saw him stuffing another bag deeper into the pocket. The man pulled out a grinder and said that was all he had. The deputies told him they saw him stuff another bag deeper into the seat pocket and ordered him and the passenger out of the car.

A search turned up a scale with a green, leafy substance on it and two baggies containing tinfoil packages. The man said he wasn't sure what the foil packages contained - maybe psilocybin mushrooms. A bundle of $49 cash organized in a way consistent with small drug sales was also found in addition to three bottles of prescription pills with the man's name on them. The man said he had surgery about two months ago but didn't elaborate. The woman's purse had a foil package in it similar to the others that were found.

The couple was arrested and taken to a substation for further investigation. The man refused to speak without a lawyer and also refused a chemical test.

The woman said she got the three foil packages from a friend in Denver and thought they contained marijuana because that was usually what her friend put in them. She wanted to give them away and that's how the man got his two. She was cited for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana and given a ride home.

The man was jailed for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both, possession with intent to distribute, possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and failure to obey a traffic device.

A deputy was patrolling Oak Ridge Drive in Gypsum on June 13 when she recognized a 29-year-old man sitting near some trash bins with his head slouched down.

The officer approached the man and saw a large welt under his right eye. The man said he'd been jumped by three guys with a mini baseball bat.

He said some teenagers outside the convenience store asked him for a cigarette and he told them no because they didn't look old enough. He thought they were 14 to 16 years old. He was walking away on the bike path when they came up to him. There were about six of them, he said. Most of them were on foot and one guy came around in a red 1990s model Grand Am.

The deputy asked if anyone was coming to pick him up. The man said his mom was but she would be a while. The deputy didn't believe him and didn't want to let him go off on his own with a head injury. The man initially refused to be examined by paramedics but agreed to call a friend. The friend wasn't going to pick him up until the deputy left, however. The officer convinced the man to be examined by paramedics, who recommended he go to the hospital but he absolutely refused.

The deputy talked to the convenience store clerk and she agreed to monitor the man until his friends picked him up or until she could drive him home. She said the man came in and bought beer, saying he was going to hitch hike back to Glenwood Springs. About 15 minutes later, he came back into the store asking for ice. He told her he got into a fight with some guys who pulled up next to him in a car and taunted him. She asked what kind of car they were in and he changed the story, saying they walked up on him. He didn't want her to call police.

A deputy saw a car weave across the centerline of U.S. Highway 6 in Eagle and enter the Eby Creek Road roundabout in the wrong direction on June 16.

The officer pursued the car with his lights and siren activated. The car switched off all its lights and continued driving. The deputy followed it into a rear driveway on Church Street.

Two men immediately got out of the car. The deputy ordered them to get back in but only the driver obeyed the order. The other man walked behind another car and vomited.

The 23-year-old driver said he understood why he'd been pulled over. He said he had not consumed much alcohol but had a medical marijuana card. He agreed to perform voluntary roadside tests and failed.

Officers found a small container of marijuana under the driver's seat. There was also a glass pipe with burned residue.

The 23-year-old submitted to a blood test and was cited for DUI and attempting to elude a police officer.

A deputy was patrolling Eby Creek Road in Eagle on June 17 when he saw a pickup driving on the dirt shoulder of the road with a missing headlight.

The 23-year-old man was visibly intoxicated and couldn't find his driver license in his wallet even though the deputy could see it as the man fumbled with the wallet. The man said he had one beer and agreed to perform voluntary roadside tests. The deputy stopped the tests, however, because the man almost fell so many times.

The man was arrested and taken to jail for further investigation of DUI. He was warned not to place anything in his mouth, belch or vomit before the breath test or else it would be considered a refusal and he would automatically lose his license for a year. The man belched three times on three attempts to give him the test.

He was booked into jail, issued a notice of revocation and cited for DUI and weaving.